Bugged Out, Over the Hill Actor Eastwood Tries Improv at White Party (Republican) Circus
Friday, August 31, 2012 at 11:21PM The Oscar winner, 82, spoke off the cuff, having discussed a few talking points with campaign advisers and sketched out some rough remarks but preparing nothing for the prompters. Organizers were comfortable with this setup: At the early Augustfundraiser in Idaho where Eastwood first came out publicly for Mitt Romney, he delivered suave impromptu remarks that had other guests raving.
Instead, Eastwood’s wacky conversation with the empty chair (standing in for President Obama — and viewed by about 33 million people, according to Nielsen) became an instant Internet meme. His rambling style triggered snark about his health and his age. His old-timey lawyer jokes brought on a wave of triumphant fact-checking/rebuttal (Romney, like Obama, has a JD).